What was the first Presidential election you voted in?

[WI_DEM]

Mine at age 20 proudly for Walter Mondale against Ronald Reagan in 1984.

[EdwardM]

1. 18 for John Kerry.

[the other one]

2. 18 for Mondale

[woodsprite]

8. 18 for Carter

[Emit]

83. 21 for Mondale in '84

And at 19 in '82, I voted in the mid-terms, which, as I understand had an historic voter turnout, especially among the younger crowd at the time, and for which the Dems picked up many seats.

[KansDem]

3. 1972--George McGovern over Richard Nixon...(eom)

[hobbit709]

6. Same here

[elocs]

28. Me too.

[OregonBlue]

31. Same here. Voting age was still 21.

[KansDem]

40. It was the first election where 18-year-olds could vote under the new law.

I was 19 at the time. I remember registering to vote at my high school, where I was in my senior year.

[XOKCowboy]

79. Me Too. Turned 18 January '72 and voted against Tricky Dick

that November. Ironically it was Nixon that allowed 18 yr olds to vote.

[Jackpine Radical]

33. Me too. I was eligible to vote in '68 but was in the Army

& in those days it wasn't easy do do an absentee ballot in the military. You had to get the address for your home elections officials, write to get the ballot, maybe get your request for a ballot notarized, then send it in. I was in the process of undergoing a slow conversion to the New Left at the time & might have voted for Nixon as a protest against Humphrey/Johnson.

[roody]

34. I also.

[understandinglife]

42. Ditto

[abluelady]

43. Me, too.

[Pastiche423]

45. I still remember how excited I was

to vote for George McGovern! I despised Nixon.

[BlackVelvet04]

70. Me, too. n/t

[kerry-is-my-prez]

90. I worked on the Mc Govern campaign but wasn't old enough to vote yet.

n/t

[shadowknows69]

4. 88

I was one of the five people that voted for Dukakis.

[WI_DEM]

9. Duke actually did better than Carter in '80, Mondale in '84 and in

popular vote Clinton in '92--43% to Duke's 47%--and only two points below Clinton in '96.

[trotsky]

55. Willie Horton and the tank ride made the difference.

Dukakis could have easily won. But before his brain cancer, Lee Atwater was one S.O.B. How lucky for us that Karl Rove has the playbook without the conscience.

[WI_DEM]

64. No doubt about it.

[InternalDialogue]

12. Then you and me make up 40% of his total.

I got lucky and unlucky in 1988. The lucky part was working as a film runner for the AP in Des Moines during the primaries -- nice perk for a journalism student.

The unlucky part: My main job was to run film for the photographer at the Pat Robertson headquarters. :puke:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

32. As was I

And I was thrilled about voting. Ah, youth. :)


Edited to add: My daughter will vote in her first presidential election in 2008 and she's already talking about it.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. 1980 for Jimmy Carter! I cried as the returns came in

and hubby and I tossed around the idea of moving to another country.

[etherealtruth]

58. Same here!

[hootinholler]

67. Same.

Absentee ballot (I was at sea) I have no idea if it was counted or even received.

-Hoot

[Cadfael]

80. Same here

Living in DuPage county IL the eighties were a bleak time- the single exception being Paul Simon

[LittleClarkie]

95. I was a John Anderson person that year, but only in mock elections

at my high school.

I always did dig an underdog.

[flying_monkeys]

109. I voted for Anderson, too :)

I sobbed when Raygun won.

[SteppingRazor]

7. 1996 -- Age 19, Voted for Clinton over Dole n/t

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. 1989 in Brazil, first Presidential election after 25 years of unelected RWers. -nt

[KalicoKitty]

11. John F. Kennedy!

[newscott]

13. Ditto.

[Minnesota_Lib]

14. I turned 18 the same year 18 yr-olds were given the right to vote (1971) and I voted...

...in the next presidential race (1972) for George McGovern over Nixon.

[missingpeace]

15. Nixon in 1968

I know, I know - just hold on. In 1968, I was a year away from college graduation. Ever since high school, I had the Selective Service breathing down my neck and had to go before the SS Board twice to appeal revocation of my student deferrment. It was a nightmarish 4 years, constantly afraid that I would be drafted and sent to the VN killing fields.
Anyway, being short on political awareness at the time, I totally locked in on Nixon saying that, if elected, he would end the war. That's all I needed to hear. The rest, including Nixon's demise and my eventual enlightenment, is history.

[DURHAM D]

59. Nixon in 1968 for me too. My first political rally was in 1951

for Eisenhower in Kansas. My grandfather was a republican party county chair so I got to shake Ike's hand. I think I have recovered quite nicely in that I was been voting straight dem since 1970.

[Odin2005]

117. OMG, you got to shake Ike's hand? you lucky SOB.

[BOSSHOG]

16. Absentee ballot from Boot Camp - Nov 72. I voted for Nixon

I've matured greatly since then.

[dmosh42]

17. Goldwater in '64

He said we could level the playing field with the Japanese in trade. The Dems had an imperial view in those days. LBJ won in a landslide, and the war continued for another decade.

[WI_DEM]

21. you're not alone--Hillary was a "Goldwater Girl" in '64.

[dmosh42]

26. Was she?

So she has made the full circle like me!

[BrotherBuzz]

105. I voted with an Absentee ballot in the military that year, too

Only Nixon drafted my sorry ass so he didn't get my vote. My APO canceled out your FPO, so there! :)

[RebelOne]

18. JFK

[Buck Laser]

19. 1956 for Eisenhower...

my last vote for a republican. I was young then, and knew no better.

[NoPasaran]

20. 1976

Voted for Eugene McCarthy, running as an independent.

[AngryOldDem]

22. 1980 -- John Anderson n/t

[Kare]

23. Clinton in 96

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

24. 1968. I voted for Dr. Spock and against the war.

[Eurobabe]

25. 1980, let's say I've reformed since then...

:D

[Pool Hall Ace]

27. 1980, age 18

Should I get the Ronnie Raygun oil painting to commemorate it?

P.S. -- I did not vote for Ronnie. The first presidential winner for me was Bill Clinton.

[Dr.Phool]

29. 1972, 19 years old. Voted for McGovern.

I even had a bumper sticker that said "Lick Dick in '72"!

[SCantiGOP]

53. bumper sticker

I had a McGovern sticker on my car, and my Dad wouldn't let me park it in his driveway. Next door neighbor was a Yankee Democrat, and she told me to park it in the front of her driveway so everyone would sed it.

[DearAbby]

30. I was 21 the year I voted for Jimmy Carter

[DemoDemoCratCrat]

35. Nixon, 1972

Lived to regret that one!

[demosincebirth]

36. JFK

[Alexander]

37. 2004, age 21, for John Kerry.

I missed out voting for Al Gore in 2000 by about 9 months - although I did do phone-banking for his campaign, at age 17.

I guess my real first presidential vote would have been in the 2004 primaries, in Arizona. I voted for Howard Dean.

[demnan]

38. Carter vs Ford

n/t

[indepat]

39. Age 22 for Ike

[Arkansas Granny]

41. 1968. I voted for Hubert Humphrey.

[onenote]

44. 1972: George McGovern (19 years old)

[Gwerlain]

46. Mine too ('84), except I was 21. Just one year too young in '80. n/t

[Redbear]

47. 19 for Mondale

Although my first vote for President was for Gary Hart in that year's primaries.

[TheDebbieDee]

48. I was 18 and I cast my first Presidential vote for President Carter

in the 1980 elections.

My father and I left the house early together to vote that morning.......

[Anwen]

49. 2000 --- Al Gore.

[The Anti-Neo Con]

50. 1996

For the Big Dog!

[SCantiGOP]

51. McGovern 72

Worked all day driving people to the polls in my home town, drove back to where I was in college to watch the returns.............and they had already called the damned election! I got my reward a little more than 2 years later when I heard Tricky Dick say, "..I will therefore resign the office of President of the United States."

[trotsky]

52. I missed being able to vote for Dukakis in '88...

by 2 months. So I had to wait until '92 when I voted for Clinton, absentee, by mail, from Germany! (I had to pay to vote!)

[longship]

54. 1972, McGovern.

I was 22 at the time. The XXVI Amendment (18 yr old vote) did not go into law in time for me to vote before I was 21.

[CBHagman]

56. Guilty confession: For Ford in 1976.

:blush:

I'd only turned 18 just before the election.

But I've since repented of my youthful foolishness.

[William769]

57. Mine also.

[Phredicles]

60. Mondale, at age 19

I'm heartened by the number of old farts on this thread.:D

[KC21304]

101. I resemble that remark ! Johnson in 64

:)

[dethl]

2004: I was 19 and voted for Kerry

eom

[TahitiNut]

61. LBJ in 1964 (voting age was still 21)

:shrug:

[slackmaster]

62. Carter, at age 18, California Democratic primary of 1976

I've never failed to vote.

[MilesColtrane]

63. 1984

I voted for Gary Hart in the primaries and was disappointed when Mondale won the nomination.

However, I gladly pulled the lever for Mondale/Ferraro.

The Reagan arms race against the USSR was in full swing and the new Pershing II missiles which could hit Soviet targets in five minutes were about to be deployed in Western Europe.

Against this backdrop NATO decided to simulate a coordinated nuclear attack against the USSR. It was called Able Archer 83 and it made the Soviets very nervous, almost to the point of their preempting it with an attack of their own.

A few months later Reagan joked that the U.S. would begin bombing Russia in five minutes.

Most of the people I knew thought Bonzo was leading us into a global conflagration and would have voted for a soap dish over him.

[sdfernando]

65. 18 and I proudly voted for Carter..

Much to my fathers disappointment.

[terrya]

66. 1976 - Jimmy Carter

[Chimichurri]

68. Clinton in '92 age 18

[Quantess]

71. me too.

I was barely too young to vote in Dukakis vs Bush sr. election.

[Chimichurri]

73. Heh Dukakis - I was a kid and I found his name very amusing.

Kinda still do.
:evilfrown:

[Quantess]

74. Some "jocks" at my high school also found it funny......

So they put up a big sign with drawings of genitalia, that said "Bush vs Dukakis".
I'm sure you can figure it out....

What a riot, huh.:eyes:

[proud patriot]

69. Jesse Jackson then Dukakis against poppy

:hi:

[Laura PourMeADrink]

97. cool. I used to work for Jesse. I have never been around another

human being who when they entered the room, an aura and electricity followed them.

[proud patriot]

100. I've been to a few rallies with him

Never had the opportunity to thank him though.
Perhaps someday :hi:

[sandrakae]

72. My mother voted twice in her life. The first time was for John F Kennedy and the 2nd for John Kerry.

I think she has a thing for catholic men from Massachusetts.

[ObaMania]

75. Ed Clark - 1980

He was a Libertarian and I smoked pot so I figured you can't go wrong with the Libertarians! Plus, stupid me actually thought that there were competitive parties outside of Dems and 'Pukes.

[MUSTANG_2004]

87. Third party as well

My first election (1988), I also voted Libertarian. Didn't like either candidate, and I've always been drawn to the more libertarian stances in both parties so figured I'd send a vote of support to the Libertarians.

[triguy46]

76. McGovern...and haven't wavered once.

Since 1972 have not once, never, nada, nil, zero, zilch, null set, voted for a repug. Yellow dog, dead dog, any choice, no choice, never would never will.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

84. Me too, triguy46, me too....

:yourock: :thumbsup:

[femmocrat]

77. George McGovern, 1972.

[Sapphocrat]

78. 1980, Carter. n/t

[Bluebear]

113. Here we go again with the gay father shit.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2796662&mesg_id=2797710

Also. My main computer lost its power supply and the link to the LL boards is in that computer! Can you send to me here so I can access it? XO

[bobbolink]

81. Against Johnson, in the primary!

IN 72, I proudly wrote in Shirley Chisholm.

[XOKCowboy]

82. Looks like a lot of (ex)hippy '72 voters here!

Count me in. I used my first vote at age 18 to vote against Nixon in '72. I'd have voted for ANYONE against Nixon. You see I'd also gotten a Selective Service Lottery number of 172 earlier in the year. Funny how the prospect of a trip to a Far East war will make you political.

Charles Rangel comes to mind right now.

[Alamom]

88. Add me to 1972. n/t

[MrSlayer]

85. 1988 - Voted for Bush.

Obviously I knew absolutely nothing about politics at the time.

[Peace Patriot]

86. 1964. I voted for the "peace candidate." LBJ. n/t

[MUSTANG_2004]

89. Humorous, isn't it?

Wilson and Roosevelt campaigned on keeping us out of European wars and then angled as fast as they could to get us into those wars, and LBJ campaigned against Goldwater as being a war-monger and then dove head first into Vietnam. And of course our current GWB campaigned against Gore and "nation building" and then pushed as hard as he could to take over Iraq.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

91. McGovern in 1972 n/t

[CTyankee]

92. Fall, 1960, in the Kennedy-Nixon campaign. I was not yet 21

and so I think I technically voted illegally.

My first vote for President went proudly for JFK. What a great day that was! I have never regretted my vote, nor my subsequent votes for Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Clinton, Gore and Kerry.

[RB TexLa]

93. 1988 Al Gore

[Independent_Liberal]

94. 2004 John Kerry n/t

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

96. 1996-i was 18-pissed at clinton, wrote in nader

nafta, gatt and welfare deform infuriated me

[T Town Jake]

98. 1976 for Jimmy Carter.

(n/t)

[Greybnk48]

99. Hubert Humphrey 1968 when I was 3 yrs old

actually I was 19.

[left of center]

102. Perot in 1992

Would have otherwise voted for Bush Sr., because I had not yet discovered that I was really a Democrat.

[napi21]

103. Johnson in 1964!

I was madly in love with JFK, but not old enough to vote. I cried a lot when he was killed!

I didn't feel as strong about Lyndon, but I've always voted for the Dem.

[montieg]

104. Proudly threw my vote away in 1968 for EUGENE MCCARTHY!!!

[DemBones DemBones]

106. Me, too!

[Vidar]

107. Wrote in Jerry Brown in 1976.

[Nicole]

108. 1976. I was 18 & voted for Carter.

:toast:

[QMPMom]

110. Age 19. 1976 Carter vs. Ford. Voted for Carter, of course.

When my Grandmother found out that I was going to a Carter Campaign Rally, she threatened to disinherit me. I went and she did not disinherit me.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

111. Al Gore (2000)- Age 20. (not really politically interested at time of vote.. .)

But by the end of the "selection", I was a RABID democrat. I was in DC for the inauguration- proudly protesting along with a group of young dems from my university.

Our marching band was in the inauguration parade. We got the crowd around us to cheer furiously for them before resuming booing the next group of people proceeding in the innagural "parade". "TAR---- Heeels" "Tarrr"! Easily the funniest part of the parade... even though I was at the point where they suddenly hit the gas and pulled shrubby back into the limo 'cause of the unwashed masses (um-I mean democrats!) along the parade route

[Blue_In_AK]

112. I could have voted in 1968

when I was 22, but I was so disillusioned by the assassinations and the mess in Chicago that I abstained. I did vote in 1972, however, for George McGovern.

[Raine]

114. Nixon 1972

and yes I voted for him.

[Rainscents]

115. Carter.

[Odin2005]

116. 2004, Kerry, age 18